After the COVID-19 pandemic caused a 10-month hiatus from in-person learning, the Juneau School District is preparing to resume limited in-person classroom instruction next week.<\/p>\n
Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss expressed optimism in the district’s opening plans. She noted that the schools hosted small groups of students in the fall and found that their mitigation strategies were successful.<\/p>\n
“There are so many variables, but I am very encouraged by the hard work done by so many. I’m incredibly grateful to our community who has kept our health status positive so that we are able to do this for our kids and families,” Weiss said.<\/p>\n
The return to in-person learning is voluntary and any student can choose to continue distance learning.<\/p>\n
Weiss said expected attendance for next week varies by building and grade level. Overall, she expects between 50 and 70% of students to return to in-person learning.<\/p>\n
“By and large, many families are super-excited about the opportunity. We are building our system very cautiously and carefully so we can sustain and grow over time,” she said. “We know there will be some bumps and turns. We have a lot of confidence that the work to this point has prepared us.”<\/p>\n
Schools closed over virus concerns as Canada closes ports<\/ins><\/a> <\/p>\n Mitigation strategies<\/strong><\/p>\n As students begin to return to the classroom, their surroundings and school safety rules will be a bit different from what they remember from the past.<\/p>\n Based on the district’s January SMART START plan shared on its <\/a>website<\/a>, all students and staff members will wear masks that cover their noses and mouth. Smaller class sizes and fewer transitions between classes will help to reduce exposure to large groups. Busses will roll with one student per seat.<\/p>\n In addition, daily symptom screening will be in place for all staff and students to prevent anyone exhibiting symptoms from entering the building. Air purifiers and air scrubbers have been deployed to larger spaces and 2,000 plexiglass desk shields have been installed.<\/p>\n